Tender Mercies

Inspired by a headline in a local newspaper, Fair City’s SORCHA FURLONG, in a tour-de-force performance,  portrays Mary Fortune as she recounts the highs and lows, loves, disappointments and demons  with us in an incisive fine-tuned study of a woman on a downward spiral. Furlong brings vividly to life a whole cast of characters from Mary’s past – her parents, ex-husband, hairdressing clients, neighbours, friends and beloved twin brother Barry. Blackly comic and poignant you’ll be thinking of Mary long after the lights go down.

TENDER MERCIES is written by Colette Cullen and directed by Caroline FitzGerald and originally developed, produced and staged at The New Theatre, Temple Bar, Dublin.

Running Time:  1 hour.  Suitable for age 16+

The Reviews Hub – Tender Mercies review by Emma Devlin, April 24, 2024

‘Colette Cullen’s Tender Mercies is a surprisingly affecting play… The writing is rich with character and the shifts in tone are well handled in the text, expertly melding dark humour with even darker truths.  ‘… the star of the show is inarguably Furlong, and not because she’s the only one on stage. It’s a phenomenal performance.’ *****

No More Workshorse – Tender Mercies review by Brian Merriman April 24, 2024

‘…Cullen has a gift for bringing the light into the darkness in her writing.  Sorcha Furlong is a master storyteller. She brings Mary’s charm, innocence, confidence, vulnerability and stark reality direct from the stage onto our laps.  … under the deft direction of Caroline FitzGerald… Furlong has such a range and control of emotions that there isn’t a wasted word or scenario.  The teamwork of the writer, director and actor is seamless and blended in one memorable voice.’*****

The Arts Review – Tender Mercies review by Chris O’Rourke September 24^th, 2024

‘If you want to check out a top class performance, Furlong at The Viking is a sure fire certainty. In the end you might remember Mary, but Furlong you’ll never forget. A poetic and brilliant performance.   Poetry and prose collide in Colette Cullen’s hugely affecting Tender Mercies’  ****